NY METS: HITTING: The Mets will be moving in the fences at Citi Field by as much as 12 feet and reducing the height to eight feet, making the park more homer-friendly. The loss of Jose Reyes and his NL-leading average at the top of the order weakens an already subpar lineup. 3B DAVID WRIGHT is coming off his worst season (.254 BA, 14 HR, 61 RBI) and could be traded at the July 31 deadline. New OF ANDRES TORRES provides very little at the plate (.221 BA, .312 OBP), but the future is bright for youngsters OF LUCAS DUDA (.852 OPS) and 1B IKE DAVIS (.926 OPS), who missed most of 2011 with an ankle injury. OF JASON BAY (.245 BA) continues to be a colossal bust. SS RUBEN TEJADA will be tasked with trying to replace Reyes. The 22-year-old made great strides last year, batting .319 after August 1. DANIEL MURPHY hit .320 last year, and will start at second, possibly losing AB in a platoon with JUSTIN TURNER. C JOSH THOLE hits well enough to be an above-average starting catcher. STARTING PITCHING: With the fences moving forward at Citi Field, the entire Mets pitching staff takes a hit. JOHAN SANTANA will be ready for Opening Day, but it's hard to have much faith that he'll remain healthy for an entire season. His velocity on his fastball is not what it used to be, topping out in the high-80's. MIKE PELFREY benefitted most from the pitcher-friendly ballpark with serviceable home numbers (3.94 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) and atrocious road statistics (5.49 ERA, 1.56 WHIP). JONATHON NIESE was also much better at Citi Field (3.54 ERA) than he was on the road (5.33 ERA), but he posted 14 games of 6+ strikeouts for the second straight season. DILLON GEE began the season 7-0 with a 2.86 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, but closed the 2011 campaign with a 5.51 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in his final 17 starts. Knuckle-balling R.A. DICKEY posted a second straight solid season with New York, notching a 3.28 ERA and a solid 1.23 WHIP. At age 37, he hopes to keep his pitches dancing in the smaller home ballpark. RELIEF PITCHING: Two former Blue Jays late-innings relievers, FRANK FRANCISCO and JON RAUCH, were signed from Toronto to pitch at the back of the bullpen. Francisco will likely get first crack at the ninth-inning role, saving 17 games last year and keeping his strikeout rate above one per inning for the fourth straight year. Rauch is an imposing figure at 6-foot-11, but he posted a 1.35 WHIP and paltry 6.2 strikeout rate last year. But 52 saves since 2008 makes him a worthy candidate for ninth-inning duty. RAMON RAMIREZ was part of the Andres Torres/Angel Pagan trade and he should be a valuable set-up man. He had a strong two-year stint with San Francisco, posting a 2.07 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.

PITTSBURGH: HITTING: The Pirates' two-month casual flirtation with competitiveness was cute while it lasted, before this team fizzled to a 72-win season. This team is still years away. But don't blame OF ANDREW McCUTCHEN, who might be the best all-around player in the division. Of all the ballyhooed outfielders from the 2005 draft, he's the one GMs would most want to build around. OF JOSE TABATA, not so much. He's serviceable and has plus speed, but the six-year extension the Pirates gave him was absurd. 2B NEIL WALKER has settled into a respectable place short of stardom. 3B PEDRO ALVAREZ has a lot of uphill climbing to do if he wants to wake up old expectations. He'll compete with 3B CASEY MCGEHEE for a starting role, but it's most likely that Alvarez moves to first base to back up 1B GARRETT JONES. OFs NATE McLOUTH and ALEX PRESLEY are underwhelming choices for the starting left-field spot. SS CLINT BARMES and C ROD BARAJAS would like to thank the Pirates for wildly overpaying them. STARTING PITCHING: JEFF KARSTENS looked pretty decent for much of last year. But that's what happens when you get to log 14 percent of your innings against the lowly Astros. Better teams exposed him for the replacement-level guy he is. Contrary to what a lot of bored, lazy sportswriters wanted you to believe last year, CHARLIE MORTON doesn't pitch like Roy Halladay. At all. JAMES McDONALD could still be special if he cut down his walk rate. ERIK BEDARD was a respectable signing. Even if his shoulder acts up, he cost only $4.5 million for a year. If he's healthy, he's still well above-average. KEVIN CORREIA may only be slightly more effective at striking out hitters than a batting tee, but the Pirates are grateful for the innings he eats. BRAD LINCOLN is the designated fill-in if any of the other starters get hurt (cough, Bedard). In the meantime, he's a swing man. RELIEF PITCHING: Closer JOEL HANRAHAN has been outstanding since first donning a Pirates uniform in 2009, converting 40-of-44 saves with a 1.83 ERA last season. It makes sense for the rebuilding Pirates to move him, but they'll probably keep the hand they were dealt. There isn't another qualified ninth-inning pitcher in this bullpen though. EVAN MEEK was bit by the shoulder bug. His early season was an unqualified disaster, but he turned it around and regained his form once he came back in September. He should be fully healthy again, and a quiet source of a few saves. CHRIS RESOP is another primary set-up man, but he posted a 4.39 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 2011. DANIEL McCUTCHEN won't be so lucky with his ERA this year if he doesn't lower his walk rate. He's just not a guy to put much faith in.

The New York Mets are claiming a blister and an innings limit are why they're skipping Matt Harvey's turn in the rotation.

Potentially starting next week's All-Star game might be another reason.

While the young ace rests ahead of the Mid-Summer Classic, the Mets will give Carlos Torres his first start in almost three years Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Harvey has been a revelation in his first full season in the majors, going 7-2 with a 2.35 ERA and a league-leading 147 strikeouts. His emergence landed him on the NL roster for Tuesday's All-Star game at Citi Field, and he's in contention to be named the starter.

"No. 1, he's thrown 130 innings and he's going to be limited this summer," Collins said. "Part of the reason is also his blister issue.

"We need to back him off and now is a good time. If he pitches in the All-Star game he'll be ready for it."

Collins is hoping Torres (0-1, 0.51 ERA) is ready for his first start since Aug. 3, 2010, as a member of the Chicago White Sox.

The right-hander was already inserted in the rotation earlier this week after Shaun Marcum was lost for the season due to Thoracic Outlet syndrome.

Torres compiled a 1.67 ERA while winning his last five starts at Triple-A Las Vegas before being recalled June 15. His latest appearance for the Mets came in the final two innings of Tuesday's 10-6 win at San Francisco, yielding an unearned run and four hits.

That victory was part of New York's four-game winning streak, which ended with Friday's 3-2, 11-inning loss to Pittsburgh in the opener of this three-game set.

David Wright, the Mets' only other representative for the All-Star game, is batting .347 during a 12-game hitting streak after getting a single, double and an RBI on Friday. The third baseman is batting .361 over his last nine games at PNC Park, but he's 3 for 18 with eight strikeouts against A.J. Burnett, the Pirates' scheduled starter.

Burnett (4-6, 3.05) will try to pitch Pittsburgh to its first five-game win streak against the Mets since 1998.

The right-hander was sharp in his return from the disabled list Sunday, allowing two runs - one earned - and three hits in five innings of a 4-3 loss in 11 to the Cubs.

"There was nothing not to like," manager Clint Hurdle told the team's official website. "The ball came out of his hand very crisply, efficiently. He was throwing a big curve from a couple of different angles."

Burnett has a 1.33 ERA while winning three straight starts against the Mets, but all those appearances came for the New York Yankees.

Pittsburgh's Starling Marte is batting .346 with 14 runs and six stolen bases over the past 16 games, with 13 of his 27 hits in that span going for extra bases. He's 7 for 16 over his last four meetings with the Mets.

Pedro Alvarez is also 7 for 16 in four games versus New York, hitting two homers and driving in six. His two-run shot Friday was his fourth homer in nine games, and he's hitting .342 with nine RBIs over that stretch.